Best school quality in Taipei: survey

TAIPEI--Taipei has the best quality of education of any of Taiwan's 22 cities and counties, according to the results of a biennial survey conducted by a local magazine.

Taipei ranked first for the third consecutive time in the survey, first conducted in 2010, and was followed by Hsinchu City and the major metropolitan areas of Taichung and New Taipei, which tied for third, said CommonWealth Parenting.

Taoyuan County ranked fifth in the survey this year, while Keelung City finished last, said the magazine, which is published once every two months and focuses on education, lifetime learning and family lifestyles.

The highest ranked cities and counties obtained high scores due to long-term efforts to improve their educational infrastructures, including developing innovative curricula, according to the magazine's analysis.

The results also indicated a widening gap in the quality of education between urban areas and their better educational opportunities and more rural counties that have poorer educational environments, it said.

Education quality was ranked based on four major categories: the local government's investment in education and public satisfaction with the government's performance; reading ability; assistance to disadvantaged groups; and caliber of teaching.

The survey was conducted from May 14-June 13 through questionnaires distributed to teachers, principals and parents throughout Taiwan. A total of 10,446 valid samples were collected.